Businesses, today, are migrating towards automated networks. This is because it helps organizations streamline their operations, enhance network efficiency, and reduce the risk of human error. This is one of the reasons why businesses have started using Network Automation.
Today, it has emerged as an important tool that is used by almost every industry. Be it finance or IT, automation is needed by every industry. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, businesses can achieve success, efficiency and productivity. There are numerous benefits of switching to automation from traditional networks.
But, how to start using network automation?
Getting started with Network Automation
Getting started with network automation can be confusing and challenging, especially for organizations for whom this is a new concept. Let’s read it here
- Know your current network environment
What your network requirements are for your business? Before knowing the network automation, it’s crucial to know your existing network environment. This assessment is important and it will help you identify areas where automation can provide the most value. Because of this, you will be able to prepare your infrastructure for the transition from legacy networks to automation.
First of all, you need to start by taking a comprehensive inventory of all network devices. This includes the device types, configurations, software versions, and network topology.
Apart from this, you need to also know about all the manual tasks that are being currently performed by the network operations team. From device provisioning to monitoring, all these need to be accessed. When you get an idea of this, it will help you identify the need for automation in your organization.
Another thing that requires your consideration is the evaluation of the current network performance. For this, you are needed to assess your network’s performance metrics. This evaluation will help you determine where you need automation and how you can improve network efficiency and reliability.
- Define your business’s automation goals and objectives
Your business needs a clear understanding of the current network environment. After this, it is also needed to understand your business’s automation goals and objectives. These should match with your organization’s business strategy and IT priorities. This is a crucial step that you shouldn’t ignore.
So, first of all, you need to focus on what you want to achieve with network automation. What do you expect from IT automation? Do you want to enhance the performance of the applications and devices? Some common objectives of switching to automation are reducing manual errors, improving network uptime, and accelerating service delivery. Also, it is important to define measurable KPIs which will help track the success of automation initiatives.
- Selection of the right network automation tools
Now, the next thing is to choose the Network Automation Tools. This is important for the success of network automation. The tools that you are choosing should be compatible with your existing network infrastructure. Along with this, these tools also need to be scalable to meet future needs.
The next thing is to know the features of the tools. Businesses must look for tools that offer the features they need to achieve their automation goals. While choosing the automated tools organizations should consider multi-vendor support, API integration, and real-time monitoring.
Do the test compatibility to ensure that the tools you choose are compatible with your existing network devices, applications, and software. The IT team and network engineers can validate compatibility and assess the tool’s performance in your network environment.
Along with this, evaluate vendor support. If you are selecting a commercial solution, know the vendor support available. Quality support is important for troubleshooting issues of automation.
- Implementation of Network Automation
When you are ready with all these strategies, your business is now ready to implement network automation. This implementation is categorized into different phases that start with pilot projects and the expanding to full-scale automation.
A pilot project means starting by automating a small and not-so-important part of your network. This project will provide valuable insights and allow you to refine your approach.
After this, you need to continuously monitor the performance of your automation efforts. It is easy to do by using the KPIs that measure success. If case of any, you can make adjustments as needed based on performance data.
After this, you can expand the automation gradually. When you are getting better results with a pilot project, you can gradually expand automation to other areas of the network. You can automate the areas within your organization that are required to mitigate the network challenges.
- Optimize the Automation Efforts
When the network automation progresses, it’s important to optimize the efforts to maximize the benefits. For this, it is also important to regularly review and optimize the automation workflows. Make sure that you stay updated on industry trends to evaluate new solutions that could benefit your organization.
Conclusion
Network automation is a transformative experience for organizations, leading to significant improvements in efficiency. It also enhances the performance of the devices, reliability, and scalability. These given steps are important to follow if you want to get started with network automation.
With the right strategy, tools, and IT team, you can enjoy the benefits and full potential of network automation. This is again going to position your organization for success in the digital age.